Archive for Skaven

There are sooooooo many other things I’d like to be posting about, but it seems the expectations and hope for Patch 1.4 are a resounding clunk. I was reluctant to even post my comments on Thanquol’s Incursion but as I take a gander around the WAR blogs … I am not alone with bad feelings. Many WAR bloggers have been accused of being too happy shiny about the game so they’ve been posting items that are taking a critical look at this MMO.

And the most recent post from Bootae has hit on something I’ve been thinking for quite a bit of time … the lack of actual new content. I feel that’s the biggest problem with a PvP game. How do you give new content to a playerbase that wants to fight other players?

The big dog WoW is easily expanded as we’ve just seen. Forget that they destroyed Azeroth via the Cataclysm, forget that they did a redo and “improved” the graphics … they went in and did this:

Two new playable races (Goblins, Worgen).

Each race was given their own starting zone to get players to Level 6.

Expanded use of flying mounts.

Seven — yes 7 — new dungeons.

Three new raids.

Two previous dungeons revamped.

New battlegrounds and PvP zone.

And more …

Easy, right? PvE is much easier to add to and those who love PvE are somewhat easier to cater towards. Call them carebears or whatever, serving up new quests and dungeons is what they want, what they need. You can build a quest chain with story, some loot, and lead them all over the map finding things, talking to NPCs, and killing mobs. And if you’re WoW that could entail taxiing mobs from one side of Gobbo Land to the other. Same with new dungeons … add a portal to some underworld cavern with elaborate architecture, increasingly difficult bosses, and epic gear to be won. That particular path really doesn’t seem possible for WAR since RvR and PvP are what keeps us here. So what can be done?

Patch 1.4’s zerg-busting, RvR-stalling intentions haven’t really come to fruition. Every server is different but on the whole, the zerg still rules and getting into your opponent’s city is still a frequent occurrence. Hey, Mythic tried and what looked good on paper didn’t pan out. Where do we go from here?

If us PvPers can’t be satiated in the same way as WoWophiles, what will fit the bill? We need more territory to fight over, more zones to explore, some more scenarios to clash within, and yes … more gear of all kinds to win. That’s the easy stuff that can be added in. The “hard” stuff referenced above therein? How about new classes, races, and pairings?

Forts … Forts … Forts
They aren’t expansionworthy since they currently reside in the game as pretty scenery and they definitely better not charge us for doing something with them. These need some sprucing up to put a little speed bump in our paths to city siegedom. This post isn’t about specifics so I won’t go into ideas for how to bring these back … all I know is they are needed. Get on it.

Change Your Mind … Add Missing Capitals
When asked directly at a Q&A session, Carrie conceded that completing the missing capitals was off the table. There are other things to focus on. Fair enough but those other things better be freaking good. Going along with my theory that we need more places to fight, four new capital cities with different mechanics, Warlords, and Kings would be cool. Throw in a special set of armor only available from each of the cities all with different appearances and stats. A rotating “city to siege” would be in order rather than capturing one pairing to enter. You’d still need to lock two pairings to get in with the second one locked opening up that pairing’s cities. You wouldn’t fight to lock Dwarf/Greenskin second for a chance at the Grudge set?

More Zones, Please
As others have made mention, it is a bit stale to be fighting it out in the same zones over and over and over again. New is good and despite the hardcore who play WAR, even we are getting tired of the same old Dragonwake and the same old Chaos Wastes. Yeah! Praag again! There are four Tier 4 zones just sitting there not being used. What a waste. And I’ll bet there are players who don’t even know they are in the game.

These are West Praag (Empire/Chaos), Isle of the Dead (High Elf/Dark Elf), Cinderfall, and Deathpeak (Dwarf/Greenskin). I posted a Q&A question on the forums that Andy Belford actually answered. I asked if they considered repurposing these existing PvE-only zones for RvR? He said it was a good idea and something they would consider. Okay … do it. It’s as low a hanging fruit as you’ll find with them just sitting there waiting. Give us a reason to fight there.

Refresh the Weekend Warfronts
We have yet to cycle through all of the retired scenarios that were to be repurposed for the Weekend Warfronts. Some of these gaps can be explained with resources working on other things. But I’m also guessing some of it is a lack of knowing just what to do to make some of them better. To make my point, here are the retired scenarios that have yet to make a reappearance:

Gromril Crossing

Grovod Caverns

Maw of Madness

Reikland Hills

Thunder Valley

All but one of those are bottom-of-the-barrel in the fun department. Grovod’s is a Phoenix Gate clone only underground. Gromril and Thunder Valley are near clones of one another with multi-flag captures and ranked near the bottom of players’ fave scenario lists. Reikland Hills is similar with multi-cap BO’s for players to run between. The Maw of Madness really doesn’t need any rejiggering. It’s a death match that’s actually a lot of fun. Let’s bring these back some weekend, spruce up the rewards (a longstanding issue for all WWs), and perhaps surprise us with some new scenarios (War Quarters, Undercroft, Bright Wizard College, The Monolith).

Beyond the Warfronts the issue of pops also needs to be addressed. Many have thought that with scenarios removed from the campaign that cross-server matchups would soon follow. Let’s hope they do.

Easy Said …
Those are the easy things that could pump some new life into WAR. I say “easy” from my armchair but some of them are easier than creating a ton of new content from scratch. Much of what I’ve listed is there already either in game or hidden code currently hidden.

The hard stuff? Yeah, now that would take some effort but I feel that’s where the path must go despite the limited resources. You could probably hold back the dogs by simply adding in missing mirrors for the races. Mr. Meh actually listed some intriguing options. Wouldn’t it be cool if every race had a glass cannon? What about a melee-healer for all?

New races with a whole new pairing is definitely pie-in-the-sky but it’s what’s truly needed. The Skaven implementation of 1.4 has been lackluster at best. Thanquol’s Incursion is not widely embraced nor is it much fun. Talking with those who’ve actively played the new Skaven “classes” say other than the Gutter Runner and Warlock Engineer … they really are only so-so. I don’t see too many people using them.

Suck it up and finally — FINALLY — load that silver bullet into your gun and pull the trigger. I know the RvR Packs have sold pretty well by all the players I see running around with their trinkets. There’s a lot of new people playing (or some say). Take that momentum and capitalize on it. Bring Skaven to the game for real with actual classes and zones. Match them with the Lizardmen for double the win. That’s your silver bullet, trump card, sure thing. I wrote about a possible pairing before and Ekalime wrote an epic post on both of these races (and a ton more … shame on you if you don’t read his blog!). It’s right there! Go head down and do it!

Closing Thoughts
It’s a tough road ahead to say the least. Are we coming to the end of the line or is there something worthwhile on the horizon? A patch that on paper sounded fairly solid has landed on its face. Instead of slowing the campaign it’s been accelerated more than ever. The anticipated addition of Skaven has been a dud. We’re tardy on a Producer’s Letter by nearly a month. Guess there’s either nothing to say or is Carrie at a loss for words? I don’t buy that … she’s always got something useful to write. What’s going on?

I know a ton of work went into the RvR Packs and Patch 1.4. And there is some good stuff there just not as substantial to truly enthrall subscribers for longer term. Taking a step back to recover on Mythic’s part is warranted. However, with some of these glaring issues at a time of year when a good chunk of WAR’s playerbase is off from work and school, all ears are open awaiting some word on what is planned to resolve these problems and any hint of what the horizon holds.

The conspiracist in me sees the quickening of the game and the raining of gear on the playerbase as a precursor to no good. Have we been kidding ourselves the past year thinking that if we turn the corner all will be well? I don’t see WAR closing down but can it grow beyond the meager subscriber base it currently has? Where are we … 100,000 – 200,000? More? Less? Who really knows? Is it possible to take the EVE route and grow this thing slowly to where you can gain momentum or are we staring at the eventuality of a F2P model?

If you’re profitable as stated earlier this year … if you have all these “cool expansions” planned … we better see a roadmap or are you guys moonlighting on Star Wars The Old Republic. All I do know is we’re coming to a real crossroads with this game and the directions aren’t looking too rosy. I want Doomflayer and Warpforged gear but am staring at 10 tough renown ranks for each with nothing truly new in between to keep me happy or engaged. It’s just an extension of the grind that isn’t that appealing for me at this moment.

Two years in and we have no new zones … no new races … no new classes … and all the hard work and effort put in to fix the game is quickly forgotten with this recent patch. The work put into WAR to fix its innumerable wrongs does not go unnoticed but for how long can that be the excuse that holds us back? What do you think should be done?

It’s been out for about a month … is it too soon to cry ‘Fail’ on Thanquol’s Incursion?

Since it went live I’ve run the thing four times. The first time was me and a lone Warrior Priest running around trying to disrupt half a warband of Destro. That worked out as well as you can imagine.

My second journey through the Skavengate was with over half a warband of guildies as we ran around fending off less than a party of Destro while we killed the bosses. That worked out as well as you can imagine.

My third and fourth forays were roughly a warband of Order — no Destro — as we burned down all three instance bosses in what seemed record time. That worked out as well as you can imagine.

Your results may vary but so far despite the cool look and feel of the Incursion, the interesting boss mechanics, and the potential loot one can win, this new addition to the game neither slows the RvR campaign nor does it provide a new outlet for fun and competition.

That’s how a conversation will go in my guild vent as someone happens to notice the Incursion is open since the 20 other players online didn’t even know nor seem to care.

I know I’m not always the most observant person when I’m in game, but shouldn’t there be some big announcement or billowingly obnoxious horn sound a la Land of the Dead with words on the screen to let us know the Skaven are running amok? Does that happen and I just don’t hear it because my guildies talk too much? I even recall seeing in region chat that it was active in a zone that no one was really fighting in.

I’m sure a lot of work went into the dungeon and it’s a shame to see it under used. My view is, of course, not the view of everyone but other than the occasional “yeah, it’s pretty cool”, no one is truly ZOMGing about it. And honestly, other than the chance to win some loot I really don’t yearn for it to open. And if it did, I wouldn’t know it was open anyway.

It’s easy to complain but what can be done to improve the instance?

Actually draw attention when it “appears”. Bells, whistles, huge text on screen! Just as we can’t miss when Destro has gained access to Land of the Dead, we should know that Thanquol is up to his shenanigans.

When it becomes available allow players to queue up for it rather than needing to find a portal. I know they look cool, and the thought was to place them at BO’s so one side or the other could guard them … but when they also appear in the warcamp that eliminates the need to fight your way to them.

Springboard this general concept into more. The instance is a lot like a scenario only with NPC boss monsters. So go ahead and make it a scenario. The items in there are pretty nice but ease of entry is not condusive to there being multiple successful battles. When you get 2-on-20 or 16-on-4 or 2-on-0 it really doesn’t make for a whole lot of fun. Take this mechanic and use it for new scenarios in the future that add a little spice to fighting the enemy. It’s fun to fight other players but mixing up the experience helps to keep players on their toes. Dare I even say make Forts into something like this with boss NPCs running around while players are trying to take the area.

What are the results on other servers? I’m guessing this doesn’t happen on say, Badlands. In fact, I’m sure players run to the instance to get away from the lag. Is my experience an aberration or is it the norm? I’m hoping my experience is not what others are seeing. If so, let’s hope for more of that quick Mythic magic to revamp and turn it around.

I was on vacation for Thanksgiving week so I was lounging in luxury … thus no posts. It’s hard work writing these things. Not really, but I took the week off to relax, visit friends and family, and oh yeah, play some WAR.

I didn’t play WAR non stop, there were some nights I didn’t play at all. I played some right after 1.4 went live and as many others have commented, the city sieges were happening far too often and flipping zones was way too easy. But the renownz!

Things appear to have stabilized and Mythic has implemented some fixes. The past few days the experience has been pleasant.

Siege, Siege, Siege
The biggest gripe for most right after 1.4 was the non-stop city sieges. While players were wandering around not knowing how the new campaign worked, they would blob up into a zergball and just bum rush zones. With no keep NPCs and a larger force on your side, flipping zones was child’s play. And even if there was some resistance, a small group could go to a less active zone and lock it with somewhat ease.

The complaints prior to 1.4 were the amount of city sieges. This patch was to fix that. In the short term, it did not. The city can be fun and with the new loot pecking order (Sovereign, Doomflayer, Warpforged) there was reason for people to take part (and advantage) of the increased frequency. The allure of getting a purple weapon and some new high-end gear are all it takes for people to flood in. Not even one full day since 1.4 launched, there were players who had upwards of 3 pieces of the new gear (from the city and Thanquol’s Incursion).

Mythic jumped on this fairly quickly, upping the amounts of resources needed to rank up keeps. This has helped. I can’t speak for what happens during the day (I’m at work), but in the evening there has been a decline in us going to the city. I expect there to be a back-and-forth of no sieges to too many sieges depending on population. More on how to curb that in a future post.

This item has gone not quite as expected.

Campaign Evolution
It’s amazing how many morphs the RvR campaign has gone through since WAR launched. Each update has improved the game and our much of our feedback has been implemented. RvR had gone extremely stagnant there for a while and Mythic knew something drastic was needed. People weren’t actively taking part and RvE isn’t nearly as fun.

Patch 1.4 has definitely breathed new life into the campaign. When you enter an active zone, before running out to join the fray, pull up the map. More times than not there will be hotspots all over the place. That’s exciting. You’ll still come across a zerg here or there but you’ll also encounter a lot more small groups. The fight has been spread around the zone nicely.

I’m not seeing as much BO defending as I thought we’d see. Since BO’s only have a 5 minute lockdown it’s more common to see a BO flip and then a group will swarm in to take it right back with the time traveled to get there enough for the lock to expire. So rather than a dire need to hold Martyr’s Square it becomes a take it and run somewhere else, leaving the BO undefended until the next time the enemy appears to be capping it.

The fighting has been quite good and it’s refreshing to see people defending and keeps. Being able to respawn inside makes defenders braver to go out and mix it up. And the battle fatigue debuff stacks which helps level the field for attackers. Since 1.4 has gone live, I’ve taken part many a good keep battle. Good times!

Other than the BO issue this item is as expected.

Scenario Matchmaking
People were running scenarios? The times I played the pops were not abundant. It seemed as though people were content to mix it up in the RvR lakes. Then I learned the new matchmaking system was borked. I guess that explains some of it.

Throwing us a bone, we were given 5 days of the Eternal Citadel to make up for the issue. Everyone’s favorite, right? If you run a melee train, sure … but for us squishie ranged guys it can prove a nightmare. No cover. Nowhere to run. Dead. You’re typically not going to garner a ton of renown as the scenario ends so quickly. That’s a blessing I suppose. The main draw for this scenario is the ability to quickly gain scenario emblems. I gained over 50 and wasn’t playing hardcore at all this past weekend.

I’m a slacker so someone tell me … did they fix the matchmaking system yet?

This item is not quite as expected.

Thanquol’s InsursionIt’s difficult for me to comment on this new RvR dungeon. I’ve only entered it twice. The first time there were only two of us on the Order side and half a warband for Destruction. There were other Order players listed which leads me to believe they entered … and then subsequently left.

Last night was my second foray and I only knew it was available because guildies were mentioning it in Vent. Shouldn’t there have been some sort of “LOTD” foghorn Skaven bell sounding thing that rattles my speakers? I got in there and it was the opposite of my first experience: a half warband of us and two or so Destro. I didn’t win any worthwhile items but gladly took the new crests.

It seems as though this would be cool and fun with equal numbers. Having to be “Johnny on the Spot” to get in and the window of opportunity when it’s available needs to be looked at. Last night’s example was a good one. Half of us in Vent had zero clue it was open. We weren’t AFK third-floor keep squatting, we were out fighting in Eataine.

The Skaven instance was meant to stall/slow the campaign … cause a diversion to prevent zone flips and city sieges. We left to do the dungeon meanwhile the campaign didn’t stall. Destro flipped Eataine.

This item does not appear to be as expected.

Color Me Bad … Really Bad
I love player customization as I think many players do. The standard dyes that we’ve had since launch are meh … so-so … passable. You can get by with them for the most part but they truly lack a lot of the punch players want. There’s a “red” but it really doesn’t punch like a red. And there’s a couple “yellows” but they are not vibrant like yellow. The same can be said for the rest of the color palette players have at their mouse clicks. Yes, I just spent the last paragraph discussing colors.

To give us more choice and better options, dyes drop off mobs out there in the world. Whether you get a Snot Green or Scab Red these are slightly better colors than the ones at vendors. Some are more accessible than others with Chaos Black and Skull White being the rarest (until the billing snafu that had Mythic giving these away to those affected).

When I learned new colors would be coming in the RvR Personality Pack it was sure to be a welcome thing amongst the community. After 1.4 there were some glitches with some colors not being available and the overly expensive price for them. Really, 2g for colors I just paid for through the RvR Packs? Eventually the pricing was reduced and all the new colors were rolled out.

So what of these new colors? Some are nice while some are well … not. To each their own but the neon colors now present some hideous combinations. Not sure if my Guild Leader reads my blog but his WH is quite clownlike and ridiculous with his current color ensemble … up until he kills you. So Mint Chocolate Chip Green will not be making an appearance on any of my toons. The new “better” Black as it were, is a detail killer unless you enjoy a high-gloss look.

I’m guessing these are as expected.

They’ll Make Great Pets … and MountsFrom the number of players I see running around with the new vanity pets, I’m assuming they are a big hit. I still have yet to select which ones I want. Some make sense for us Order players but I wonder how I can explain walking around with a two-headed dog. Won’t I draw the attention of more than a few Witch Hunters? “Nah, it’s not a chaos mutation … I swear it was born that way. You know, pure bred dogs, all the inbreeding. That’s all.”

The new mounts looks sweet and I appreciate the quicker speed and greater chance of not being dismounted. Some goof Marauder tried his stupid “pull” thing on me and I just ran away. I hate that thing. I selected the “Steel” mount but was given the “Silver” one. A new hotfix has gone in that will allow players to swap the color of their mount and pets whenever they now choose.

These appear to be as expected.

Overall Thoughts
Even though 1.4 had a slightly rough start it appears to be settling in quite nicely. I’ve really been enjoying RvR more than I have in quite some time. WAR was always supposed to be about largescale fights and for the most part, we are getting those. There is reason to get involved and the renown is sweet. I’ll finally be able to reach RR80 (the slacker I am). My guess is that this patch is going as expected but some of the issues have been prominent enough to require a reassessment. Mythic has already made some adjustments and I imagine more will be on the way.

Getting anywhere from 10k-20k renown for flipping a zone is quite nice. But my RR81+ friends tell me the drag hits you after reaching that bellweather rank. I’ve been fortunate to have gotten some nice new items along the way. In two city sieges I’ve gotten a nice fill-in belt to go with the Doomflayer set when I one day complete it. I received a sick endgame staff from a purple bag in Stage III. Shame it will take me about two years to reach RR98 and use it.

And lastly I just got my first piece of new gear … Warpforged Gloves.

I’m enjoying where we’re headed but hope more substantive things are on the horizon. In 6-8 months from now, what kind of new RvR Pack can we expect? What else can be added to a PvP-centric game so quickly? We’ll discuss that soon enough.

Last night Mythic held their first Live Q&A session (that wasn’t tied to a PTS event). Unfortunately I was indisposed and was unable to attend but I did find links that will provide you with a recording of the event.

I’m not sure how the actual live event went, but in the recording, the first 20-30 minutes are WAR-inspired music … some such about Heavy Metal … Blackguards and Knights of the Blazing Sun. There’s also some Slayer hitting you in the face and drinking beer.

Once the actual event gets started there’s some goofing around, problems with the microphones, some stragglers getting logged in … but eventually they get into some of the questions. I won’t run through them all just the ones that I found interesting. If you want a detailed transcript stop over at Hypothetical WAR as he has a full transcript posted.

The questions were not pre-screened nor were they grouped together by subject. So my summary below will be all over the map.

Will we be getting any new scenarios?Yes! A revamped Grovod Caverns could be on the way. Grovod has been on hiatus since the Weekend Warfronts went live and truthfully, I haven’t missed it. It’s a capture the flag mechanic based in what appears to be Skaven tunnels under Praag. It sounded as though they plan on adding some more Skaven to it.

In addition, Carrie mentioned that we will probably be seeing more Skaven stuff coming in the near future beyond Patch 1.4.

Will we receive more mastery points at RR90 and RR100?
The answer to this was a bit foggy but the dev said we will get something similar to what we do now at RR80. That means a passive plus to all mastery paths. Once beyond 80 we should get these bonuses every 4 ranks at 84, 88, 92, 96, and 100. I feel myself getting more godlike just thinking about this.

Will more gear be added to the game for more customization options?
Yes although Carrie did mention they want to try and keep these as sets rather than one offs. This would be a good thing … more customization is good.

What are some of the new colors in the RvR Personality Pack?
All that was mentioned was a “better” black. Cool.

Will a healer be added to keeps?
No. The rationale is that defenders would have a huge advantage if they get wiped defending only to respawn in the keep and come back at full strength. Players can opt to respawn inside but they will be weakened and would need to wait out battle fatigue or choose to respawn in their warcamp and run back at full strength. Makes sense.

Will we see a permanent 6 vs 6 scenario?
Sounded like a ‘yes’ to me. It may be coming and could revolve around a slightly revamped Ironclad.

Any new classes coming?
Not in the short term. So if these will come at all, probably not until late 2011 or most likely 2012.

What’s the liklihood of another RvR Pack in 6-8 months?
Very likely. Carrie mentioned that it is not decided if it would be free or purchasable. That is to be determined. I am guessing it would center around the return of Fortresses. Speaking of which …

Any plans for Fortresses?
They are still alive and on the table.

Will we see duels?
Maybe.

Any updates to Tier 4 RvR Influence Rewards?
There are some plans but nothing concrete.

Will we see more items added to the EA Store via Account Entitlements?
Probably not in the near term. They understand how buying things via this method can be perceived and do not want to overly perpetuate that.

After a Keep is fully leveled, will it lose ranks if BO’s are lost?
Keeps will not degrade once they are leveled up. So expect RvR to go like this … both sides taking, holding, losing, retaking BO’s. Both sides gathering resources and leveling up their keep. Once one side or the other hits the max … it’s all out attack the keep time.

Definitely some good stuff and always nice to have an opportunity to chat with the team. Big day today so good luck with your purchase and patching. I look forward to getting home so I can do the same.

Just where, exactly, will you be this Thursday? I’ll be at work … but rest assured as soon as I get home I’ll be logging in to purchase both RvR Packs!

I’m looking forward to the renown boost as that should be just what I’ve been needing to finally get my sorry butt to RR80. And just in time to stare straight up the hill at RR100. I’m curbing my enthusiasm as getting through to buy the Verminous Horde might be backed up. I might have to wait, or one can hope. I think many longtime WAR faithful are hoping the packs will breathe a whole new life into the game we enjoy. I do expect many old-timers to return. I also hope to see a bunch of new folks who have been sitting back waiting to dive in. WAR will truly be a new experience and it’s a shame the game wasn’t what 1.4 will bring back when it first launched. Would’a, should’a, could’a.

As Bootae mentions, players should not be overly surprised if we find some glitches here and there that interrupt our fun. The last few patches have been fairly smooth but this one is crammed full of all sorts of goodness. And having just gone through a nightmarish upgrade to a software application I’m in charge of at work I can say there is usually nothing routine about such things.

That said, let’s hope for a smooth rollout and good times a plenty. I’m guessing there will be more than a little RvR going on.

Interesting post up on the forums. You should take the time to read it and leave feedback, both positive and negative.

For all the bluster about “not being heard” … I think it’s clear that Mythic does, indeed, read the forums. Count your blessings as most games go deaf when it comes to player feedback. We’re on the verge of our first expansion-like content with more and more information coming to light that should excite both new and old WAR players alike.

I’ve been in a funk of late and my time in WAR has not been as abundant as it once was. It’s a conflagration of my frustration about reaching RR80, a desire to play some different games, but mostly it’s the state of Iron Rock. Its action and the hit or miss attendance my guild has exhibited makes for a mixed bag. The good news is many of my guildies are looking forward to the Verminous Horde expansion which should breathe new life and meaning into our toons and in turn a renewed excitement for me to play.

Tier OverlapsAn interesting change will be spreading out the rank restrictions for the lower tiers. We’ll see an overlap between Tiers 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 3 and 4. I especially love how the adjustment is a part of giving “twinks” a taste of their own medicine. How fun will it be to troll around New Emskrank with your R14 toons smacking around those freeloading trial griefers? Besides the joy that will bring, it will be nice to stick around Tier 1 a wee bit longer. Tier 1 flies by and if you don’t stop to enjoy … it’s gone. Also nice will be the ability to jump between tiers in search of action. Tier 3 isn’t hopping but Tier 2 is … go have some fun!

Matchmaker ❤
Folks should cheer as we will finally get a scenario queue that groups folks accordingly. What seems a bit wonky is how they will do so … it will be based on your skill and performance. How exactly will this be judged?

Is it based on a player’s win/loss percentage? I pug often and find I win as many as I lose, but when I’m in a pre-made, my winning percentage is higher.

Will your skill level be judged on your DPS or Healing output? Killing Blows? XP or renown gained? Have they been tracking this all along or will our grading start with 1.4? I’d like to know specifics on what they will be focusing to determine how good or bad players are. And hopefully they don’t post this list. Do we need to see who the “best” is or how “bad” we really are?

All said, it should make for more competitive fights but we’ll have to wait and see how this all unfolds. I’m skeptical.

Give Me the Gear!
With the addition of two new RvR armor sets (Doomflayer, Warpforged) it only makes sense that the other sets would be bumped down a notch. As I originally thought, Annihilator will be purchasable via gold and it seems Conqueror is now available via Officer Medallions.

Moving Invader and Warlord sets down to the RvR campaign will make them much more accessible than they currently stand. Gear should not be so unattainable as to frustrate players, but they also should not be handed out like candy. These changes with some slight reductions in price should make getting these sets an attainable yet challenging goal.

Opting Out of Kindness
The ability to opt of of gold bags only is a huge win! I’ve had my full Sovereign gear since February so I truly have no need for additional pieces (I will be running full offensive set once I hit RR80). That said, I admit to not opting out of Stage III in hopes of getting that elusive purple bag and the weapon it contains. I know, a dick move but this will now allow players like me to be kind enough to opt out of the gold while still having a shot at the weapon.

EZ Mode
Many lower renown ranked players in Tier 4 complain about the power gap. In the lower tiers it’s common to get stomped when you’re at the bottom and then dominate once you reach the top. It’s fun to be more powerful, have more abilities, and to be equipped with better gear. Winning is always more fun.

In a world where everything is “supposed” to be equal, that’s not how life really works. And in a PvP game that is definitely the case. Would players expect nothing for their efforts while leveling up? No. We expect to increase our power, abilities, gear, etc. That’s the point of MMO’s.

It’s no fun getting stomped. So I can feel for the lowbies but I was one once too. And I got stomped, call it taking my lumps. Heck … sometimes I still get stomped. So should a R40/RR40 toon be able to stand toe-to-toe with a R40/RR80? If that’s the expectation why would anyone take the time to get to RR80?

I guess this is a problem for all MMO’s as they mature. How do you keep the playing field somewhat close without making it too easy. We’ll have to see the renown boost in practice to know just how fast ranking up your renown will be. Those already RR80 will cry foul … but that’s the curse of being first. If you got to 80 in the first 6 months, you never got to enjoy the double renown weekends or the buffs players get in Weekend Warfronts. It was tough. Kind of like your parents’ walk to school up and down hill in the snow with no shoes. Kids these days have it too easy and new players to WAR will find their ascendancy to RR80 far easier than those who went before.

Once players do hit 80 we’ll all be in the same boat which should be quite a challenging climb to RR100. So looking at this from a more positive angle, if the boost helps to boost the number of players in these upper tiers and it makes for more fighting and fun, I’m in. At least I will enjoy the opportunity to rank up my ALTs at a quicker clip.

Alright … so … more info. Or you can skip straight to the Verminous Horde page.

I wanted to know what, exactly, we’ll be seeing in the packs and most importantly what they will cost. The Letter has shed some light on both of these questions.

There’s been much discussion concerning the EA Store and the pricing we see for the new Entitlements being offered to WAR players. Some of the prices seem fair while others are kind of steep for what you get. I like the proposed pricing for these RvR Packs.

Choosing to buy one of the Packs will cost $10 or $15 for both. Everyone’s financial situation is different so each player will need to determine if that is fair for what you get. For me, that’s easily lunch during the week … I can pack a sandwich one day and be good to go. But again, that’s my situation.

Is that enough to earn your $10 or $15? I can’t answer that. I hope that opening up progression for the RR80’s will bring back a lot of players. The new campaign mechanic should improve the core of the game and again, bring back the fun.

I feel it’s what happens after these packs that will truly give us a glimpse of what to expect. I am all for this approach to add new things to the game in a quicker fashion. If they add worthwhile things to make the game better then it’s a good thing. However, adding ranks and armor will only go so far. We’ll need more substance … new classes, races, zones, dungeons … real expansion stuff.